Shatter to ‘blow cobwebs out’ of legal profession

Justice Minister Alan Shatter has warned he will drag the legal profession into the 21st century with the Legal Services Bill which aims to reduce legal fees, the Fine Gael convention was told.

“I am determined to blow the cobwebs out of this profession and we will introduce reforms in the public interest and drag it, if necessary, screaming from the 18th century into the 21st century,” he said.

His comments came a month after the European Commission said Ireland’s legal services remained sheltered from competition and were a drag on the economy’s performance.

Speaking at a forum titled Justice in 21st Century Ireland, he praised the “effective and courageous” policing of the gardaí in Limerick who, he said, had removed fear from the streets by ending the stranglehold that criminal gangs exercised over the city.

And he said he fully agreed with comments by Waterford TD John Deasy who said the establishment of a new national DNA database would act as a deterrent as criminals would know if they were caught for something today, they could also be charged with previous crimes.

“The DNA Data Bill is a game changer for criminals in this country... and you can be damned sure we’ll make it known if we have your DNA on our database and if you commit a crime, we will be able to identify you a lot quicker.”

The minister believes the bill will revolutionise the Garda approach to serious crime.